New Zealand all-rounder Nathan Smith produced an acrobatic fielding effort during the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday, January 8. Nathan Smith made a stunning catch on the boundary to dismiss Sri Lanka's Ishan Malinga. In the last match.
New Zealand were asked to bat first in a rain-affected match, which was reduced to 37 overs. They scored a total of 255/9, with Rasheen Ravindra (79 off 63) and Mark Chapman (62 off 52) scoring fifty runs. Mahesh Thekshana (4/44) and Wanyandu Hasaranga (2/39) were the top wicket-takers for Sri Lanka team.
Sri Lanka's chase started poorly against New Zealand
Sri Lanka's chase started poorly as the New Zealand players took advantage of the conditions using swing, seam and bounce to trouble Sri Lanka's top order. Both openers failed, and Kusal Mendis was sent off cheaply. Charith Asalanka's bizarre run out left them reeling at 22/4 on the power play in the run chase.
Camindu Mendis responded with 64 off 66 balls, including five fours and three sixes. He formed important partnerships, adding 57 runs with Janeth Liyanage (22 off 31) for the fifth wicket and 47 runs with Chamindu Wickramasinghe (17 off 27). However, he was dismissed on the 29th day of the chase.
Watch: Nathan Smith makes a surprise on the border to send off Ishaan Malinga
The incident occurred on the last ball of the 29th over of Sri Lanka's innings. Eshan Malinga tried to fire a short, wide pass from William O'Rourke over the keeper and into the boundary. However, the ball flew off the bat connection towards the great third man, where Nathan Smith was standing.
Nathan Smith, who fouled out earlier in the day, redeemed himself by jumping horizontally and grabbing the ball with both hands before it hit the ground. This stunning effort has been hailed as potentially the best in the series. Malinga was dismissed for 4 runs off 5 balls which included one boundary.
The Black Caps took to their social media account on
Here's the video of Nathan Smith's acrobatic efforts on the field:
Nathan Smith! Cry at the Seddon Park border for the expulsion of Ishaan Malinga 🔥 #NZvSL #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/sQKm8aS07F
— Black Caps (@BLACKCAPS) January 8, 2025
Good playing time for men – Mitchell Santner
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 142 runs, resulting in New Zealand securing the three-match ODI series with one match remaining. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised his team's performance.
“We opened really well, losing wickets in the middle but the seamers did what they wanted on the wicket which was a little wide. We knew we had to bowl well at the start, credit to Thekshana and he bowled the ball away and got us to the big one,” said Santner. “They stuck to their line and their lengths.” For a long time and they made it difficult for us. “He usually swings under the lights here, but the bounce the bowlers got was a challenge for the bowlers.”
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